Alex Jones has been presenting The One Show for over a decade, but she almost turned down the opportunity when she was first offered the job in 2010
Welsh television personality Alex Jones has revealed how she landed her presenting role on The One Show, paying tribute to the programme’s Friday host, Chris Evans, for teaching her “everything” about fronting live TV.
Chatting to Mark Wogan on his Spooning podcast, Alex recounted being approached by The One Show producers back in 2010, following the departure of former presenters Adrian Chiles and Christine Lampard.
Initially, she admits she didn’t take the phone call about the opportunity seriously, failing to grasp that she was being considered as a potential host.
Believing the BBC simply wanted her to cover a handful of segments, she declined the offer, citing her packed schedule with other commitments: “I was doing a surfing programme, a poker programme, a holiday programme, a fashion programme, and just in general, like, a bit of a chat show as well on BBC Wales. So I was quite busy, and I thought they meant to be a reporter.”
But when the caller clarified that Alex was actually being lined up as a potential presenter, she assumed someone was “winding her up” and hung up the phone.
Only afterwards was she convinced the opportunity was legitimate: “We did six weeks of auditions with various people. And ultimately, myself and Jason Manford got the job.”
Alex underwent a transformation, swapping her surfer-chick vibe for a more polished look as a tea-time presenter, which coincided with the start of her on-screen partnership with Jason.
She reminisced about their early days in London, where they initially stayed at a swanky hotel in Sloane Square due to not having permanent digs in the city: “Jason and I didn’t know anybody in London when we came, so we were like two students…
“We lived in this hotel in Sloane Square, which was so weird. And I remember that shepherd’s pie was £37, and we couldn’t believe how expensive it was. We were living this funny life where we didn’t know anybody.
“And after each show, we’d go to the cinema like two kids, because we didn’t know anybody, and we were far away from our families. And then we’d eat this expensive shepherd’s pie and complain to the BBC that it was £37 and ask, ‘Why aren’t you giving us any expenses?'”
However, it was her connection with Chris Evans, who covered for Jason on Fridays, that truly helped her settle in: “I still have a real soft spot for him. And he actually was the one that taught me everything I know.”
When Jason departed the programme, Chris took Alex under his wing, showing her the ropes of London’s media scene: “We just got on like a house on fire and had the best time. And just every Friday, we’d go out after the show. That’s when I sort of settled into London, I think,” she fondly recalled.